Indian students make optimum use of scholarships in Spain

IE Foundation has been supporting talented international students to get the financial support needed to become future leaders
The inflow of Indian talent to Spain has increased in the last decade. The country for a long time was an unknown territory as a study abroad destination, however, with growing awareness and the introduction of English-speaking courses in the universities, Indian students and researchers are finding it a suitable destination.
IE University, Madrid has seen remarkable growth with a rising number of Indian students in the last 10 years. The university had 58 Indian students at IE Masters + Bachelors (2015-16) and now the university has 170 Indian students for Masters + Bachelors (2024 – 25), which is a 200% rise in growth. The university started to focus on the globalisation of education by highlighting the non-Spanish courses. The university now has more than 200 Indian students in the master’s and UG courses.
India is the leading country from Asia to send most students to the university followed by Singapore and the Philippines, says Geoffroy Gérard, managing director at IE Foundation & vice dean at IE School of Science and Technology. “Indian and South Asian students are important to IE, and we aim to increase their presence at the undergraduate level. Right now, more than 15% of UG students are from Asia Pacific,” adds Gérard, who is hopeful of having more deserving candidates from India to study and work in Europe.
“We receive amazing profiles of students each year, applying for the scholarships. We want more students to come forward and get the financial support offered by IE Foundation which aims to support talented students from across the globe,” he says.
The IE Foundation was set up with the support of partners and donors at IE. Through the initiative, students from more than 100 nationalities have been able to meet their target. The Foundation every year grants 1000 scholarships to talented students. “Besides the financial support (including the tuition fee, travel and stay) the scholars get an opportunity to network with experts, researchers and academics. On many occasions, the scholarship committees find it difficult to pick from several Indian students applying here, adds Gérard.
The Young Talented Leader Programme is an initiative designed to support outstanding students from diverse backgrounds. The aim is to offer access to world-class learning, with a focus on developing future leaders with strong academic performance and a commitment to positive social impact; IE Foundation Fellows Program is a special excellence programme with a total of nearly 300 students getting benefited, every year. As many as 45 Indian students have been the beneficiaries. The Foundation is in conversation with corporations, foundations, or individuals to create specific scholarship funds to allow the best talent with needs to access IE University. “We hope to grow this joint impact in the future with some strategic partnerships for talent from India,” adds Gérard.